Virginia university votes to remove DEI office

The University of Virginia’s Board of Visitors Friday voted to close its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) office after President Trump’s executive orders against DEI efforts in the federal government. 

“DEI is done at UVA,” Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin wrote on X Friday. “Today, the University of Virginia Board of Visitors voted for commonsense saying NO to illegal discrimination and YES to merit-based opportunity. Students at Mr. Jefferson’s University—and across America—deserve unlimited intellectual freedom, not ideological gatekeeping.”

The university’s Board of Visitors is made up of 17 voting members appointed by the governor.

“This is a huge step to restoring the values of Mr. Jefferson, who founded the university, who understood that we are all created equal, and that’s exactly what this is about — ending illegal discrimination and restoring merit-based opportunity,” Youngkin said on the “Ingraham Angle” Friday. 

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He said the university’s resolution also eliminates “any program that violates the Constitution, the Civil Rights Act or, of course, President Trump’s executive order that laid all of this out and prohibits moving these programs someplace else where they would be hidden or using third-party contractors.” 

Youngkin said his administration has been working against DEI efforts in the state since his election.

“We, of course, embrace the idea that we come from a diverse society, diverse experiences, and, of course, diverse views, and that, of course, is one of our strengths as a nation, but we have to eliminate illegal discrimination,” he explained. 

“And now we’re in a moment where we have our flagship university make a very clear statement that DEI is done at the University of Virginia,” he added. 

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The resolution said the “University’s Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Community Partnerships is hereby dissolved,” adding the school “shall immediately transfer permissible programs to a new organizational home.” 

The resolution didn’t specify what would count as a “permissible” program. 

The resolution added that the university’s president would update the board on compliance within 30 days. 

The board cited the university’s mission statement, which “includes a commitment to [developing] the full potential of talented students from all walks of life” in its resolution.

It continued by saying that the board “highly values diversity, including diversity of thought and experience, and fosters an inclusive environment, encouraging a culture of opportunity for all, which immensely enriches our Grounds, and is committed to providing every student an education that is free from discrimination and grounded in merit.”